Belem.- Two cruise ships stand majestically above a quiet port in the Brazilian Amazon, where some… 50,000 People will gather starting Monday for the United Nations climate conference.
The Otero River port in Belém, in northern Brazil, is surrounded by fishing communities who live on boats, next to these floating hotels.
With the ability to 6000 peopleShips arrived from Europe to provide additional space for the foreign delegates gathered in Belém 1.4 million Of the population, more than half live in slums.
Some guests complained about the small cabins and the distance from the port of Otero to the conference venue, which is about 20 kilometers, which takes 45 minutes by bus.
Others see it as a unique opportunity.
“For most conferences we stay in hotels or apartments.”said Bereng Moketi, a forestry official in Lesotho, as he waited at the port to board a ship for the first time.
“We wanted something different”. He hopes to “remember her forever.”
In the months leading up to the conference, with Belem’s few hotels sold out, organizers scrambled to secure accommodation in private homes, universities and schools. Then on the two boats.
Prices rose dramatically.
The reception of MSC Seaview and Costa Diadema required major improvements to the port of Outeiro, which cost approx 45 million dollarsAccording to port officials.
Residents celebrated the infrastructure investment in the city, as a bridge to the port was also built and streets were repaved.
But environmental groups have stressed the irony that cruise ships, big fuel consumers, carbon emitters and water polluters are hosting delegates to a conference to save the planet.
Some have questioned the decision of Belem to host COP30.
president of brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, He insisted it should be done in the Amazon, a powerful symbol of the importance of carbon-absorbing rainforests.
Lula, visibly upset by the lingering doubts, said delegates could “sleep under the stars.”
Instead, many will sleep on the water.
“It’s a good experience,” Jose Santoro, who works in logistics for Brazil, said at the conference.
“I’ve never been in one of these things,” he said. “The bathroom is a little small, but I’m a big person.” “The room is very comfortable, the water is hot and cold, and the internet works.”
A number of conference participants complained about problems with accommodation and prices that may reach hundreds of dollars per room.
Michel Omar Laivao, of Madagascar’s Ministry of Environment, said his delegation was “relatively happy.” In the apartment they found after a lot of effort, an hour’s bus ride from the convention center.
He added, “But Brazil has its reasons (…) I think the reason is that Brazil wants to show the Amazon. The lungs of the world.” “It’s a beautiful thing. You don’t get to see the Amazon every day.”
Cruise prices also proved prohibitive for many – reaching $600, according to participating delegations – although some rooms were reserved for representatives of poorer countries at lower rates.
Brazil announced contributions from “Non-state actors” To fund three free cabins for each delegation from low-income countries.
Rosandela Barbosa, port director of state port company CDP of Para, told AFP that Belém has a long-term vision.
With the expansion of the Outeiro dock, this is now the case “Suitable for receiving cruises”.
He added that the project “will remain as a great legacy (…) because there will be an increase in port operations,” hoping to boost tourism.
Barbosa dismissed environmental concerns, because ships have “the technology and mechanisms to manage and monitor the fuel they use.”
For a Santoro guest, the on-board bars, restaurants and pools are a new kind of luxury. But the casinos are closed.
“I think they don’t want people to stay there (on deck) … because focusing on the COP is more important than staying on the boats for fun,” he said.
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